Electric cooker.



W. NICHOLS.

ELECTRIC COOKBR.

APPLICATION FILED 1.13.11, 1910.

Patented July 11, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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,l Witwe/wao W. NICHOLS.

ELECTRIC COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED 11111.11, 1910.

Patented July 11, 1911.

'6l/witnesses SH01/wud UNITED sTArssaaTENT oFFioE.

WILL NICHOLS, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOB. Ol' ONE-HALF TO ADAM l'.

" BEXBOAD, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

ELEc'rizrc coomin.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Application med March 11', 1910. serial No. 548,571.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILL NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Cookers;

and I do declare the following to be a full,

clear, andexact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference -bcing had to' the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specification.

My invention relates'to improvements in electric cookers, my object being to provide a construction of this class in which the cooking, whether baking or other form of cooking may be advantageously and economically carried on by the use of electricity alone as the source of heat.

In my improved construction, I provide a sort of oven or receptacle having relatively thick walls whereby the escape of heat by radiation or conduction is obviated for all practical purposes. The filling or packing for the walls of the heater is preferably composed of mica ground or comminuted suliciently for the purpose. Mica not only serves to resist the escape of heat by conduction, but also serves as an electrical insulator, which is an important feature in an electrical heater, since the electrical conductorsmust to a greater or less extent pass through the walls of the cooker. In my improved construction v*I employ coils of wire of suflicient electrical resistance for the purpose. One set of these coils is. located `in the bot-tom of the cooker while another set is located in a removable and reversible disk or plate supported in theupper art of the cooker by a skeleton frame whic rests upon the bottom of the cooker. The upper set of coils is set into a recess formed in the disk which is preferably composed of fire of the disk, the last named surface is uppermost and when -in this form various kmds of food may be cooked thereon, either directly, as pancakes, or by Setting different utensils thereon. When, however, the oven is used for baking, it is preferred to reverse the position of the said disk, whereby its metal plate surface is lowermost, causin the heat to be radiated downwardly there rom, as well as upwardly from the bottom, thus producing an equable heat throughout the oven or cooking vchamber and causing the material, as bread, to be baked evenly throughout its entire thickness.

In my improved construction I have arranged the wiringfor the two setsv of coils so that by the employment of a single pair of removable electrodes, either coil may be placed in the electrical jcircuit, or both coils simultaneously, as may be desired.

Having briefly outlined my improved construction, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing: Figure l is a vertical section taken-through my improved cooker, showing the apparatus complete. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the disk detached from the cooker and illustrating the manner of using it independently of the body of the cooker. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of an elecf trode shown in detail and adapted to be employed in connection with the cooker forv closing the circuit through either or both sets of coils when the disk is employed within the oven or cooker chamber. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken through the cooker on the line 4-4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sideV view of the cooker looking in the direction of arrow 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6- is a similar view looking in the direction of arrow 6, Fig. 4.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate thebody of the cooker which is exteriorly lined with metal as shown at 6 and provided with an interior metal lining 7. Interposed between these two linings is a lling 8 preferably composed of crushed or ground mica, which, as heretofore stated, is not only an electrical insulator but also serves to retard heat conduction and radiation.

i Tlieicooker'is provided with. a cover' 9 hinged lat 10 and adapted to't-ightly fclose the u er extremity of the chamber or oven 12. 'iiis cover is provided .with a sort of catch 13 adapted to be engaged by a cam 'lever 14 pivoted at 15 and having a handle 16 for convenience of manipulation. By turning this cam lever to the position shown inFig; 6, the cover is held tightly in the closed posit-ion, whereby the chamber or oven 12 is practically sealed hermetically.

The cover, likel the other walls' of the cooker, isI provided with 'an outer metal plate 17and an inner metal lining 18, the spacelbetween being preferably filled with ground mica 19 or other suitable packing material which is preferably a nonconductor of the electrical current and also a substance 'adapted to retard heat radiation and conduction.- Through this cover is formed an opening 20 provided with a metal sleeve d or lining 21 to the top of which is screwed an apertured plug 22. Into the bottom of the sleeve 21 is inserted a seat 23 for a ball valve 24, the said seat having a perforation 25 to permit the escape of steam or vapor when the pressure rises sufliciently for the purpose. Between the ball valve 24 and the screwplug 22 is a coil-spring 26 which acts on'lthe said valve with sufcient tension to maintain the same in the seated position.

.- Theplug 22 may be adjustedito regulate the desired predetermined limit.

In the bottom of the cooker is formed a metal-lined recess or pocket 27 in which is located one or more coils 28 mounted upon a core 29. The top of this recess is closed by the bottom portion 30 of the metal lining 7 of the oven. I prefer to employ a plurality of cores 29 wound with wire, the number of coils mounted on distinct cores depending upon the required heating capacity.

The terminals of the coils 28 are connected by means of conductors 31 with electrodes 32 having perfor-ations 33 to receive coperating detachable electrodes 34 carried by an insulating block 35 through which the electrodes 34 pass, being connected with wires 36 by nuts 37.

Supported in the upper part of the oven `or chamber 12 is a disk or plate 38, preferably composed of fire clay and having a 'metal-lined recess 39 inwliich a plurality of coils l40 are located, the said coils being wound upon cores 41, the terminals 42 of the coils leading to hollow contacts 43 normally engaged by spring-actuated plugs 44 A which are located in recesses or perforations 45 adapted to receive the members 34 of the electrode 35, the said perorat-ions 45 being formed in eXteriorly protruding electrodes 50. When the parts ,|34 ,of the ,electrode are inserted in the perforations'45, tli'e circuit will be closed through the coils 40 and the disk 38 will be heated.l i'

From an inspection of the drawing (see Fig. 5), it will be understood that when the electrode 35 is inserted in the perfora-tions 45, whereby the contact membersA ,34 .are brought into electrical connection or contact with the. spring-actuated electrodes 43, the circuit will be closed through the coils 41 of 'the fire clay disk l38;'-fwhile v.When the elec' trede 35 is applied t'o thecoperating electrodes '32, the circuit .will be closed'throu'gh the coils 28 in the bottom of the-cooker. Again, when the;detachable electrode 35 is applied to an intermediate pair of electrodes :46, the electrical circuit will be 'simultaneously'closed through both sets of coils, This will be understoodfrom an inspection of Fig. 5.

Assumlng that the electrode 35 is inserted `in the perforations 45 of the electrodes 50,

the current may be said to pass from one pole of the source, not shown, through one of the Wires 36, to the coils 40 of the disk 38, and thence back through the other wire 43 to the other conductor 36, and thence through the same to the opposite pole of the source. In'this event it will be observed that the current passes only through the coils 'of the disk 38 and in this event the disk alone will be heated. Now if it is desired to pass the current through the coils 28 only,

pass from one-pole of the battery or electrical source through one of the wires or conductors 36, thence to one electrode 32, land thence through a conductor 7 to the coils 28, and thence back through the other wire 7 to the other electrode 32, and thence through the other wirei36, connected with the electrode 35, to the other pole of the source, completing the circuit. desired to pass the current simultaneously through both sets of coils, namely, the coils '28 in the bottom of the cooker and the coils 40 in the disk 38, the contacts 34 of t-he electrode 35 are inserted in the p'erforations 51 .of the electrodes 46,'in which event the current will pass from'one pole of the source through one of the wires 36 to one electrode the electrode 35 Will be connected with the ,electrodes 32, in which event a current will Now if it is 46, and thence through a conductor 52 to a conductor 43, thence to and through the 'coils 40, thence back through the other conards 57 connected by a ring 58. The esser extremities of the standards 57 are benito form feet 58^ which engage the bottom of, the cooker, while their upper extremities are ber, as shown at 59 to form a rest for the dis In the event that it should be desired to set cooking utensilsinto the chamber 12, the disk 38, together with its supporting structure may be removed from the chamber or oven and employed independently, (see Fig. 2). In this event the disk 38 may be heated outside of the oven or chamber 12 for the purpose of cooking. In this' event the contacts 34 of the removable electrode 35 are inserted in the sleeves 43 of the disk, thus closing the circuit through the coils 40 and heating the disk whose upper surface will in that event correspond with the top of the stove and articles of any character may be cooked thereon.

A Irecess 64 is formed in the top of the disk 38, underneath the' metal lining. The

metal lining is provided with an o ning 65, slightly smaller than the recess an registerin therewith. A tool may be inserted into this recess 64 through the opening 65 for Y removing' the disk from the cooker.

In one side of the wall of the cooker is formed' a eep-hole 60 covered by a trans` parent dis 61. Beyond the disk 61 is a small chamber 62 in which is located a thermometer 63, whereby the temperature of the `and connected with the coils, spring-actuated electrode plugs located in the wall 'of the cooker and ada ted to come into contactwith the sockets o the disk when the said disk is in position, and a portable electrode adapted to be connected in operative relation with the sprin -actuated electrodes.

2. An electric cooker comprising a disk having a recess therein, heating coils located within the recess, contact sockets located in the disk and connected with the coils, a portable electrode adapted to be inserted in the said contact sockets and connected in operative relation with the coils, and supporting legs uponwhch the disk is mounted, substantially as described.

e In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.v

WILL NICHOLS. 

